Attic Insulation Vapor Barrier Up Or Down

Vapor barriers are sheets of plastic or other material placed on one side of insulation sheets.

Attic insulation vapor barrier up or down.

Attic insulation should always be installed with the paper backing facing toward the living space the ceiling in this case. I will be blowing in approximately another 10 to get an r38 value i live in wisconsin. A vapor retarder is a material used to prevent water vapor from diffusing into the wall ceiling or floor during the cold winter. This barrier is meant to keep moisture from getting to the insulation in the walls and ceilings and it is required by building codes when insulating most houses.

Not every wall does. The insulation fiberglass or cellulose is then placed on top of the drywall with no vapor barrier above or below. Affix rigid foam insulation to the attic side of the hatch or door. Now with attic insulation heat is no longer lost from the living space such that moisture may remain trapped in the attic vapor barriers were therefore necessary to reduce moisture flow into the attic.

If you install fiberglass batt insulation with a kraft paper vapor retarder in a home which way do you face the vapor retarder. For many building science questions the answer is it depends for this one the answer is clear. Reply dee january 15 2015 at 8 12 pm. Pull down stair or ladder.

In any case the vapor barrier must point to the warm side. What if you find asbestos in your attic. To the inside of the home or the outside of the home. My biggest concern right now is the vapor barrier.

In this case use r 38 insulation as recommended above by energystar. After the insulation is in place you will want to add a vapor retarder sometimes called a vapor barrier if you need one. This acts as a barrier to keep heated moist air from rising up into the attic during cold weather. Attic vapor barrier detail for cold climates the best approach for a vented attic in a cold climate is installing a layer of drywall with a good coat of latex paint the paint creates a semi permeable vapor barrier.

The heat being lost from the house below warmed up the attic so that moisture was lost through the vents as vapor. As of right now there is about 7 of blown in insulation in the attic. Yes you should put unfaced insulation either rolls or batts on top of existing insulation so that you only have on vapor barrier facing the heated house. Adding a second vapor barrier could cause condensation to become trapped in the insulation between the two vapor barriers.

Attic hatch or door. If the batts are your only layer meaning the attic joists are currently uninsulated you should install them with the vapor barrier down facing your living area below. Use a zippered insulated tent to keep the enclosure draft free attic tent at 7 attic cover insulator 120.